Around eight decades of history seem set to come to an end for Sungei Road flea market.

As it has to make way for the Sungei Road MRT station, due to open in 2017, an association representing its 200 traders had suggested relocating to one of four alternative sites nearby.

However, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has rejected this - and not given it any explanation. When asked, NEA referred The Straits Times to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, which said the four sites have been zoned for parks and residential use under Master Plan 2014. They are next to Rochor River, at Kampong Bugis along Kallang River, behind Sim Lim Tower and a roadside near Jalan Kubor Malay cemetery.

The president of the Association for the Recycling of Second Hand Goods, Mr Koh Ah Koon, 73, received a letter from the NEA informing him of the decision last week. He passed on the bad news to members at a meeting on Monday. "Shutting down the market will mean taking away a source of income for many elderly folk here," he said. "Most of us have little education or are illiterate."

wat a waste... one of the last traditional places where there are true bargains can be hunted down... Where the REAL meaning of flea market is followed... not like those ppl at china sq who buy/sell for obscene profits and can pay rent ...

URA/NEA.... dont bullshxt us... the reason u guys want to push them out is becoz you dont get rental from them rite??

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There's a lot of vacant land here and there even in the city, why not let whoever is keen to operate the stalls like sham shui po in HK ? If they think they cannot manage rogue sellers, but there's already a lot of rogue sellers that nobody is managing .. just look at Sim Lim, Lucky Plaza, even some NEA market.

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There's a lot of vacant land here and there even in the city, why not let whoever is keen to operate the stalls like sham shui po in HK ? If they think they cannot manage rogue sellers, but there's already a lot of rogue sellers that nobody is managing .. just look at Sim Lim, Lucky Plaza, even some NEA market.

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well, they cleared the land where a once thriving sungei road market exists, where one can buy really cheap ICE, gold fishes, shitload of spare parts to repair stuff and other nice stuff, only to leave it bare for >2 decades, fencing up the area to grow grass.

so those peddlars got not choice but to lay their wares on the road and pack up everyday.